Washington Co. authorities continue searching for woman missing since 2004
TENNILLEE, GA. (WJBF) – Early Wednesday morning, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI, Middle Georgia Gang Task Force, Sandersville Police Department, and Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) conducted a search at a place of interest for a woman missing for 19 years.
Sonya Tukes disappeared May 10th, 2004 in Tennille, Ga. Police say the then 22-year-old was in her pajamas at her sister’s home when she stepped outside to take a call around 1 a.m. She hasn’t been seen since.
Sheriff Joel Cochran posted on the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page:
Although this search did not yield the results we wanted, we will continue searching for clues and evidence that lead us to her whereabouts. I’d like to thank the men, women, and K-9 who dedicated their time and was involved with conducting this search. We always ask the community to stay involved, and continue to pray. We are committed to working together, not just as law enforcement partners, but as a community for Sonya and bringing much deserved closure to the family. Our team of dedicated law enforcement professionals will continue moving forward in this investigation….
Sheriff Joel Cochran, Washington Co. Sheriff’s Office
NewsChannel 6’s Renetta DeBose filed a Cold Case Project report on Sonya in May of 2023.
In her report, Renetta spoke with the victim’s family.
Her sister, Barbara Tukes, said that Sonya couldn’t get away from domestic violence, “She met him at a young age and she couldn’t be apart from him. Then when the violence got started we used to always try to tell her you’re better than that. You don’t need that.”
Captain Trey Burgamy with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told NewsChannel 6 that whomever called her that morning, KNEW where to find her.
Cold Case Project | Joint Task Force examines Sonya Tukes disappearance
“Only this person would know that Sonya was at Barbara’s house. This person knew Barbara’s phone number. And this person knew exactly what time to make that phone call and what to say and what to do to get Sonya Tukes to come out of that house,” Capt. Burgamy said.
While there is a person of interest in the case. There are no suspects.
Sonya Tukes, who would be 41 today, was last seen wearing green shorts, a black t-shirt and black flip-flops at her sister’s home on Wimberly Circle in Tennille, Georgia.
If you have any information or wish to submit an anonymous tip please reach out to GBI Special Agent Corey Haynes who can be reached at (478-374-6988) or Major Trey Burgamy (478-552-0911)
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
